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Sneezing Cities: The Worst Places for Spring Allergies

Got allergies? The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has released its annual list of the most challenging places to live with spring allergies. Find out if your city (or your upcoming vacation destination) tops the list.

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TUESDAY, April 3, 2012 — If it's heavy pollen days, not the rainy ones, that get you down each spring, pay attention.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently released its Allergy Capitals list for 2012, calling out the 100 cities in the United States where dealing with spring allergies is toughest this season. The organization calculated final scores for each metropolitan area based on data related to allergy prevalence, specifically seasonal pollen scores (mold spores and airborne grass, tree, and weed pollen), allergy medicine use per patient, and the number of board certified allergists per patient.

Knoxville, Tenn., tops the list for the third year in a row, and many cities ranked in the Top 25 have appeared high on the list before. If you call one of them home, you may already know the tips and tricks for dealing with spring allergies. (If not, or if your city is new to the list, don't worry — see below for a primer.) But if you suffer from spring allergies and have plans to move to or vacation in one of these cities, you may want to reconsider — at least for this spring.

Check out the AAFA's Top 25 most challenging places to live with spring allergies in 2012:

How to Handle Spring Allergies

Here are three quick tips for enjoying spring with as few sniffles as possible.

Keep doors and windows closed. We know, it's tempting to roll down the car windows and blast your favorite song, but that's the way most pollen infiltrates your house and car. Pollen counts are highest between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., so if you must open the windows, wait until later.

Wear sunglasses. Look stylish and keep pollen out of your eyes at the same time.

Watch pollen counts. Befriend the weatherman, sort of. Don't plan to spend lots of time outside on a high-pollen day. And when you do get home, take a shower and throw your clothes in the wash before relaxing on the couch or your bed to avoid spreading pollen all over your house.